Plus One

When I woke up the next morning, I had that disorienting feeling where I didn’t know where I was or what I was doing. It only lasted for a few seconds before I remembered that today was the day: Marcus and Hana would be married by this time tonight.

I looked over at Jude, who was asleep and cramped-looking on the couch, and remembered what he’d said to me last night, too. I decided to just pretend like nothing had happened there. I only had to last for two more days and then I could go home and never see him again.

Only I didn’t really want that. I kind of wanted to see him again, and again, and again. I quickly shook that thought out of my head and got up to go shower. I kept my hair up since it would be getting washed at the salon in a few hours.

I got out of the shower and put on one of the robes hanging on the back of the bathroom door. I went back into the room and was met with Jude, lying on my bed in nothing but a towel as he watched TV.

I tried to think of something to say, but my heart was stuck in my throat. After a second, he turned and noticed me. “You done in there?”

“Uh-huh,” I managed.

“Cool.” He got up and went into the bathroom, shutting the door without another word. I felt my face flush. He knew what he was doing. Well, fine.

My phone vibrated in my hand. It was Leanne. “Hey, the shuttle to take us to the salon leaves in ten minutes. Wanna walk down together?”

“Sure,” I said. “I’ll be right there.” I threw on some shorts and a t-shirt before poking my head into the bathroom. “I’m going to get my hair and makeup done,” I said. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Jude thrust his hand out from behind the shower curtain, giving me a thumbs up. Leanne knocked on the door a few minutes later and we went down to the lobby together, where Hana, her mother, and the rest of the bridesmaids were waiting.

“So, what happened with you and Jude last night?” Leanne asked, quietly so no one else could hear as we walked to the shuttle that was parked in front of the hotel. The air was warm but breezy and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky; a perfect day to get married.

“Nothing. Why?”

She shrugged. “I just noticed some tension when we left the restaurant. But it seemed like you guys were getting along great before, which, by the way, how did that happen?”

“I dunno,” I said nonchalantly. “We just decided to put aside our differences and be friends.”

She looked at me, unimpressed. “Dude. You hated him like 48 hours ago. What could’ve possibly happened to change that?”

A lot. A lot could (and had) happened. But I merely shook my head. “I don’t know.”

“Well, do you like him?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I mean, do you like him?” she asked.

“No!” I said immediately. She raised her eyebrows at how flustered I was getting, so I forced myself to calm down. I was normally a great liar. This was fine. “Of course not. We’re just good at pretending to be a couple, I guess.” I forced a laugh. “We must be, if you think that I like him.”

“Okay,” Leanne said, but she didn’t sound convinced. Thankfully, we got to the shuttle and were packed in with Hana and the rest of the bridal party, so there wasn’t much room for private conversations.

The salon was only a short ride from the hotel. Hana’s mother had booked all of our appointments in advance, so we went right to the sinks and had our hair washed. As the hot water splashed around me and the hairdresser massaged my scalp with shampoo, I felt myself finally relax a little.

Hana had specific hairdos for everybody in mind. She wanted hers to be in an intricate braided updo that took a lot longer than the style for the bridesmaids, which was just some loose curls with a few strands pulled back, kind of like the hair I’d worn last night. As I sat in my chair, I watched Hana smile at her mother in the mirror and I felt another stab of longing. I always thought that maybe it would be me marrying Marcus. Not right now, of course, but perhaps in a few years.

Since our dresses were a light blue, our makeup consisted of a subtle silver eyeshadow that got a little darker towards the outer crease, a thin line of eyeliner, and a natural face. Our nails were a simple French manicure. The woman who did my nails for me didn’t seem to like me, probably because I kept pointing out the mistakes she made on them.

“That’s a little smudged right there,” I said, pointing to a tiny blob on my ring finger.

She merely nodded and smiled, but then mumbled something in Spanish that made the woman doing Leanne’s nails laugh. Leanne kicked me under the table, but I shrugged. Everyone knew I liked things to be perfect, so what?

“You all look beautiful,” Hana said tearfully once we were all finished with our hair and makeup. She’d been in a rather emotional state all morning.

Leanne beamed, but I merely smiled a little uncomfortably. It still felt wrong to be a bridesmaid at this wedding, watching my ex-boyfriend get married to a girl who I never really learned to like.

The wedding photographer showed up not long after that and began snapping photos, mostly of Hana finishing getting her hair done. He took a couple of the five bridesmaids, and I did my best to look happy in them.

Finally, once she was finished, we all went back to the hotel to get our dresses on. “Don’t forget to be there an hour before it starts!” Hana’s mother cried as we got out of the shuttle and went back to our rooms. The wedding would be out on the beach, so we’d all be meeting in the lobby before walking out together.

I stood outside my room, trying to find the keycard in my purse. Before I could slide it in, the door suddenly opened, making me jump. “Hey,” Jude said.

“Oh. Hey.” I brushed past him, kicking off my shoes. I subconsciously lifted my hand to run it through my hair, but forced myself not to, knowing Hana would kill me if I messed it up before pictures.

“Nice hair.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“No, I mean it,” Jude said, coughing a little, like he was embarrassed.

I didn’t answer for a second, feeling my face flush. “Oh. Well. Thanks, I guess.”

As I rummaged through the closet, trying to find my dress and make sure there were no stains or wrinkles on it (although that would be impossible, considering I hadn’t touched it since the day I tried it on), Jude said, “Listen . . . are we okay?”

I turned to look at him, surprised. This was unexpected. “Yeah. Why?”

He shrugged, and for the first time since I’d known him, he looked almost troubled. “I dunno. I just feel like last night was weird. And I was kind of a jerk.” I raised my eyebrows and he rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m capable of admitting when I’m being a jerk. You should try it sometime.”

“Shut up. We’re fine, Jude. Seriously.” More than anything, I just wanted to forget the events from the previous night and go back to normal. Or at least, as normal as things had been between us before.

“Fine, fine.” He held up his hands in surrender. “What are you doing?”

“I have to put my dress on,” I said with a sigh. “And I really don’t want to.” I eyed his shorts and t-shirt. “You should probably get dressed, too. Are you coming down with me?”

Jude shrugged. “Got nothing else to do. I can hang out on the beach until it’s time, I guess.”

“Cool.” I went into the bathroom with my dress and heels to get changed. I thought about asking Jude to help zip my dress, but decided that would probably come across as flirty or awkward, so I merely struggled to do it myself, getting it three-quarters of the way up before resolving to just ask Leanne to finish it when I saw her.

“Are you dressed?” I called through the door.

“Yeah,” Jude answered, so I opened the bathroom door and went back out into the bedroom. Jude was standing there, adjusting his tie in the mirror. He turned to look at me and his jaw fell open, almost comically.

After a few seconds of silence, I asked, “Do I look okay?”

He nodded, closing his mouth. “Yeah. Um, yeah. You look . . . beautiful. Really, really beautiful.” He didn’t seem embarrassed to say it.

I felt a warm flush go through my stomach. “Oh. Thanks. So do you. Not beautiful, I mean, but . . . you know.” I cursed myself for getting so flustered for no reason.

He laughed. “What, you don’t think I’m beautiful?”

“Shut up.” I stood next to him and we both stared at ourselves in the mirror.

“Should I take my lip ring out again?” Jude asked. I turned to look at him head-on, studying him.

“No, leave it in,” I said finally. “I like it.” He smiled at me, and I realized we were really close again, much like we’d been last night. But instead of stepping back, I didn’t move, feeling his body heat and smelling his cologne and enjoying it. It’d been so long since I let someone get this close, since I wanted someone to get close.

After a few seconds, I remembered that oh right, I was part of the wedding party and it was probably time to get the show on the road. So, clearing my throat, I turned away and starting hunting for my shoes.

“Your dress isn’t zipped all the way,” Jude pointed out.

“Oh. Yeah. I couldn’t get it,” I said, holding my breath as I waited to hear his response.

There was a pause. Then, Jude offered, “Do you want me to do it?”

“Um, sure. If you don’t mind.” I found my shoes before going back over to him and turning around. He brushed my hair away before gently zipping the dress up all the way.

Don’t make this weird, I told myself sternly. This is just a friend, zipping up the dress of his other friend. Whom he’s pretending to date. At her ex-boyfriend’s wedding. Not weird at all.

“There you go,” Jude said, clearing his throat.

“Thanks.” I turned back around, purposely not meeting his eyes. “You ready?”

“Yeah.”

I grabbed my purse that held my phone, wallet, and room key before we left. The two of us walked side-by-side down the hall, not speaking, but it wasn’t awkward. As we waited for the elevator, I drummed my fingers against my thigh, trying to work up the courage to do something. As the doors dinged open, I reached out and took Jude’s hand.

He seemed surprised, but didn’t pull away. We stood in the elevator, still holding hands, until he finally said, “No one is here.”

“I know,” I said simply. I wasn’t looking at him, but I could see his reflection in the elevator wall, and I watched as he slowly smiled.